Elijah Risley Sr.

Elijah Risley Sr.. . , Elijah Risley Sr. was born in 1757 in Hockanum (now East Hartford) Connecticut and served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1779. He married Phebe Bills and began moving westward until finally arriving in Fredonia in April of 1807. The Risleys had 12 children, of which nine survived until adulthood. Elijah built a cabin near the top of West Main hill and eventually bought land further down what is today Chestnut Street. It was Elijah Risley Sr. who built the first bridge across Canadaway Creek at the foot of the hill below his home., Risley is known to have been involved in many different businesses in his life, including two mills he built on Canadaway Creek at the bottom of West Main hill. When General Lafayette visited Fredonia in 1825, he made a point to recognize all of the veterans of the Revolutionary War including Elijah Risley - whom he recognized in the crowd! The portrait here is called "The Birth of Old Glory" by Percy Moran (1917). It represents the flag that was allegedly made by Betsy Ross, that soldiers like Elijah Risley fought under. Elijah Risley's grave located here has a marker signifying his standing as a Revolutionary War veteran.